This week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker traveled
to China, where she made a stop in Shanghai ahead of the Strategic and Economic
Dialogue (S&ED) starting today in Beijing. At a roundtable with American
Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai on Tuesday, Secretary Pritzker met with a
number of CEOs and business leaders from companies doing work in China. They
discussed the business climate in China and ways the Department of Commerce can
be effective in helping companies expand opportunities in China. Secretary
Pritzker also discussed her visit to the Shanghai Free Trade Zone on Monday, as
well as the upcoming S&ED and what she hoped would get accomplished during
the upcoming talks.

Secretary Pritzker also met with the Commercial Service
Officers at the consulate in Shanghai. The Commercial Service (CS), part of the
Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA), plays a vital
role in helping American companies start exporting or expand their reach into
international markets. CS helps U.S. businesses overcome trade barriers, find
global business opportunities and partners, and attract investment to U.S.
shores.

As part of President Obama’s deliberate decision to deepen
U.S. engagement with Asia, Secretary Pritzker has been working to strengthen
commercial ties with the region. In April, she delivered remarks at the John
Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
(SAIS), outlining
the Administration’s focus on strengthening the U.S.-Asia economic relationship.
There, she also announced ITA’s plans to expand its presence in fast-growing
markets in Asia and Africa and to open offices in five new countries, including
its first in Burma. Then last month, Secretary Pritzker led a commercial
diplomacy mission to Vietnam, the Philippines and Burma in
conjunction with a delegation of U.S. CEOs and the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council,
underscoring U.S. government support for high-level private sector engagement
in the Asia-Pacific region. This week’s trip to China builds on these efforts
to promote U.S. businesses and strengthen economic ties in the Asia-Pacific
region.